As it works to build all types of connected devices, that leaves a natural next step: a television set-top box. The e-commerce giant is planning to introduce a device this fall dedicated to streaming video over the Internet and into its customers’ living rooms.
This makes a lot of sense for Amazon and it would certainly be a bigger competitor than Google.
I don’t know how many people manage so many Apple TVs, but Stephen Hackett does.
Speaking at our D: Dive Into Media conference on Tuesday, HBO’s Eric Kessler said “effective today we will be enabling AirPlay” for HBO Go.
HBO still say they’re coming to Apple TV.
Apple updated its Apple TV software on Monday adding a number of new features. […]
There is an ongoing debate about whether Apple will release a physical television or an enhanced box similar to what we have now. People on both sides of the debate square off every few weeks and rehash the same arguments. Ultimately, we get nowhere, but I think that’s because nobody is asking the right question.
What a great looking game. It uses iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, AirPlay and it’s good for the whole family. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Tim Cook:
“When I go into my living room and turn on the TV, I feel like I have gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years,” Cook told Williams. “It’s an area of intense interest. I can’t say more than that.”
What Tim didn’t say is that Apple would be making their own television. His comments could be directed towards the content on the TV or how we interact with the device.
Some interesting thoughts from Cuban on what it will take to win in the TV market.
Among the things we like in the new Apple TV software (in addition to the obligatory stability and performance fixes) is the ability to easily save multiple iTunes accounts and switch between them, support for Shared Photo Streams and AirPlay broadcasting from Apple TV to other devices
Sounds like a huge update.
However, the location of the announcement and its proximity to Hollywood has some speculating that there may be more. One of the possibilities being raised is more content for Amazon’s Prime Instant streaming service. Of course, there’s another option: What if Amazon announced a streaming video device to compete head-to-head with Apple TV, Roku and Google TV?
Analyst Andy Hargreaves said this morning that he believes an “Apple Television would be ‘extremely unlikely’ in the near term.” Not that I disagree with his assertion, but the way he arrived at it is a bit sketchy to me.
He came to the conclusion after a meeting with Apple’s Eddy Cue. Basically Cue said Apple will enter a market when its damn good and ready and there are problems with the current television setup. These are the same things Steve Jobs said publicly about television, so there is really nothing new there.
We also don’t know what “near term” is. Next week, next month, two years from now. Hargreaves note just seemed odd to me and not based on anything factual.
Apple aims to make it so viewers can watch any show at any time via a cloud-based DVR that would store TV shows online. The service would be designed so viewers could begin streaming a show minutes after it began airing live.
Where do I pay?
Matthew Panzarino:
Apple has begun talks in preparation for a set-top box device that could be used to watch live TV as well as view other content, reports Jessica E. Vascellaro and Shalini Ramachandran at The Wall Street Journal. This would apparently be a new direction that would let Apple get a stronger presence in the living room It would involve them getting deals with cable providers, which the report says has not happened.
Arnold Kim:
Apple has quietly launched a Hulu Plus channel on Apple TV this morning.
You have to reboot for the channel to appear.
Todd Bishop:
Apple sold 1.3 million Apple TV devices during the June quarter, an increase of 170 percent over the same quarter a year ago. That still qualifies as a “hobby,” according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who disclosed the number in response to an analyst’s question on the company’s earnings conference call. But here’s an interesting data point: Microsoft sold 1.1 million Xbox 360s worldwide during the same time period.
Doesn’t mean anything, but still interesting.
Gruber got this right calling the Netflix API changes a “huge shit sandwich.”
My latest column on Techpinions:
Some people think Apple will release a television with new menus or Siri integration. I don’t believe they are thinking big enough. If Apple enters that market they will disrupt it and change it forever.
John Gruber:
So the reason Apple TV doesn’t show up in Freewheel’s data is because it doesn’t show any ad-backed video. Freewheel’s data isn’t about online video watching — it’s specifically about ad-backed online video watching.
I don’t understand how people can draw conclusions from data like this. Gruber gets it right.
Apple posted a support document on how to setup AirPlay Mirroring.
I love my Apple TV. I love my new Apple TV even more.
I picked up the new Apple TV from Apple after the iPad event, so I’ve been using it for about a week now. [...]
Apple’s third generation Apple TV sports 1080p video support, and still costs $99.
Tim Bajarin:
And I also don’t think they really understand the idea that people want to have access to that content anytime, anywhere and on any device they own.
Tim’s article is just chock full of quotes I could pull out, but for me, this is one of the biggest reasons Apple can take over the industry. Traditional market leaders don’t want things to change and that’s exactly why Apple dominates the music, smartphone, tablet and MP3 player markets.
Apple isn’t afraid to turn a market on its head and introduce a new way of doing things.
New York Post:
Apple is pitching the idea of offering channels as apps for its devices, including its Apple TV set-top box. It’s unclear whether it would group the apps together and charge a fee — similar to a cable-TV subscription — or offer the channels on an a la carte basis.
I would definitely buy these channel apps.
Tim Cook talking about the Apple TV: So, with Apple TV however, despite the barriers in that market, for those of us who use it, we’ve always thought there was something there. If we kept following our intuition and kept … Continued
Neil Hughes:
By potentially partnering with carriers and cable operators, Apple could enter the market on a level playing field with everyone else for content. With access to a variety of content through existing providers, as well as the content already available on the iTunes Store, Misek believes that Apple could package everything with a “superior user interface and ecosystem” and beat out the competition.
There are a lot of variables to consider, but many have hoped that Apple could bring some type of subscription service to Apple TV.
AppleInsider:
Apple has added its Genius recommendation system from iTunes to Apple TV, offering to suggest titles related to previous purchases.
Sounds like a good update.
AllThingsD: Today, the company is unveiling plans for its Roku Streaming Stick, a flash-drive-sized dongle that plugs into the back of television sets to enable the same streaming capabilities as a Roku box. Roku is leapfrogging Apple by offering a … Continued
Julianne Pepitone, for CNNMoney: “We did so many difficult things this year that we got overconfident,” Hastings said. “Our big obsession for the year was streaming, the idea that ‘let’s not die with DVDs.’” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings’ comments came … Continued
Matt Alexander on CBS turning down Apple’s offer for streaming TV: The streaming model works. Once you’ve experienced the joy of watching what you want, when you want, it’s difficult to go back to regular television consumption. And yet, here … Continued
Ryan Lawler at GigaOM: Apple had long been rumored to be working on a subscription streaming service that would aggregate content from multiple TV networks and compete against more traditional cable and satellite services. That product ended up never coming … Continued